


Happily Neighbor After

by kumjongin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Bottom Kim Jongin | Kai, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sex, Sharing a Bed, Slice of Life, Top Oh Sehun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kumjongin/pseuds/kumjongin
Summary: When his mom says she’s coming for a visit, Jongin has no choice but to ask his hot neighbor to pretend to be his boyfriend.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 14
Kudos: 340
Collections: Cuddle & Snuggle Round 1





	Happily Neighbor After

**Author's Note:**

> CS100

"So when are you getting married?"

Jongin pulled the phone away from his ear to let out a sigh. As much as he loved his mom, almost every conversation would have the same dreaded sentence thrown in. She had been bugging Jongin about it since he was a junior in college, when she claimed it was time to start getting serious about his life. No matter how many times he'd tried to explain that he was still young, that he just hadn't met the right person yet, it didn't make much of a difference. "Mom, do we have to talk about this all the time?" he shifted the phone to rest on his shoulder, cradling it as he fished out his keys for his building.

"Well I'm sorry, Jongin. But by your age I was already married and had your sister, you were on the way. These days you kids just like to have fun, but you don't want to grow up. I just want to see you happy, sweetie," she cooed. There was the sound of glassware clinking in the background, and he wondered if she was out to brunch or if their maid was putting away the dishes.

"I am happy, Mom. I don't need to be married to be happy..." he mumbled, stopping at the mailbox to retrieve what he suspected to be mostly spam. He knew that arguing with her was futile, but he didn't have the heart to just tell her once and for all that he didn't want it to be brought up anymore.

"Sweetie..."

"Besides, Mom...I'm...uh, I'm seeing someone right now. So who knows what will happen, maybe they'll finally be the right one," he said, heading toward the stairwell. It was a lie, and he felt a pang in his stomach. He wasn't the type of person to lie to his mom, or anyone really, but he hoped it would be enough to get her off of his case for a few minutes.

"Oh? You are? Well what are they like?" she asked, her entire mood seeming to shift at the prospect of a potential son-in-law.

Jongin had been afraid as a teenager to tell his parents that he was gay, but they'd both been supportive, and his mom didn't take long to talk about his future husband instead of a future wife. "Ah..." he mumbled quietly, ascending the rest of the way to the third floor. There, he saw his neighbor just coming out of his apartment. He and Sehun had gotten to know one another a little bit in the half year they'd been neighbors, enough for Jongin to know he was quiet but always offered a friendly wave when they saw each other. A couple of times they'd even walked their dogs together. 

As usual, Sehun offered a small smile, lifting his hand in greeting.

Jongin smiled, kneeling to pet Sehun's white dog briefly.

"Jongin?" came the sound of his mom's voice.

"Oh, sorry," he said, standing. He made a face to Sehun, playfully annoyed.

Sehun shook his head and walked off with his dog.

"He's...well, he's tall, and he's quiet. A nice guy, he really likes dogs," he said, though he felt kind of bad about using his neighbor he hardly knew.

"What's his name?" she asked, sounding almost skeptical.

Jongin hummed, grabbing his keys again to unlock the apartment door. "Sehun."

"Do I get to meet him?"

"Mom..." he groaned, closing the door and toeing off his shoes. There was the sudden sound of paws skittering across the floor, and in came his loving poodles. He tapped the speaker button on his phone, leaving it on the floor as he settled down to give the dogs their expected pets. "I don't know, Mom, really."

"Well how serious are the two of you?"

Jongin paused for a moment, petting his dog's ears and giving them kisses on the nose. He knew that if he said they were still getting to know each other, she'd insist he need to get more serious. "We...well, I didn't tell you, but we're living together," he lied. Another bubble of nervousness settled in his stomach, and he wished that he didn't feel like he had to lie. But his mom didn't leave him much of a choice.

"You what?" she asked, disbelief evident.

"Yeah...I mean, I didn't mention him before because I didn't want to tell you about anyone I wasn't serious about, you know? But...yeah, it happened pretty recently," he said.

There was another pause on the other end. He wasn't sure if she was trying to consider his words or the truthness to them. "I'm happy to hear that, Jongin. And I have some good news, on that note. I was going to tell you before all of this, but now it makes it even more exciting," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Uh...what is it? You haven't already booked a chapel or something, have you?" he joked, hoping it wasn't anything he was about to regret.

"I'm coming for a visit next weekend. I'll be staying at least a week."

Jongin's stomach plummeted as soon as the words left her mouth. "Wow, Mom..."

"I knew you'd be excited. And this way I can meet this boyfriend of yours too. Won't what be great?"

"Yeah...great..." he agreed, though he couldn't help how hollow his voice sounded. Shit. This was not how it was supposed to go. If he'd been given more time, he could have at least faked a breakup or something, but it was too soon for that.

—

The next day, he knew he had to do something. He’d already planted the lie, and he didn’t have long to figure out what to do about it. He grabbed the cake he’d bought earlier that morning, and left his apartment to take just the couple of steps to Sehun’s door. He swallowed, raising a hand to knock lightly. He couldn’t figure out if he wanted him to answer or not.

But luck had its own funny way about it, and the door opened just a minute later. “Jongin, hey,” he said, not seeming all that surprised that he was there.

“Hi, Sehun. Ah...I brought some cake, I thought maybe we could talk?”

“Well I don’t say no to cake. But is something wrong? I didn’t think I listened to music that loudly,” he said, expression deadpan.

Jongin smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to complain. You might want to by the time I’m done though.”

“Can’t say I’m not intrigued now,” Sehun mused, stepping aside to let Jongin in.

He stepped into the apartment, his gaze roaming over the place. He hadn’t actually been inside Sehun’s apartment before, had only passed by him and made small talk, other than the small glimpses he got if he knocked on the door for a piece of wrongly delivered mail or a holiday card. It was clean and didn’t contain many decorations, the walls holding only a singular painting of a forest. “Nice place,” he said.

“Thanks. Have a seat,” Sehun gestured, taking a seat himself on one of the chairs.

Jongin perched himself onto the black leather sofa, not sure how to even begin to ask him such a bizarre favor. “I feel like I should just jump right in. And it’s kind of a long story, I guess...but, uh, my mom...well...I don’t know how to even begin,” he frowned.

Sehun’s brows furrowed a little bit, and he reached out, laying a hand on Jongin’s knee. “It’s okay...or it will be. What is it?”

There was something comforting about Sehun’s warmth, and Jongin’s lips curved slightly. “This is going to sound dumb. But I told my mom that I had a boyfriend...and I don’t. But she’s always trying to talk me into getting married and there’s all this...pressure, that I just kind of said it to get her off my back.”

Sehun nodded, “That’s understandable.”

“I’m glad you think so so far...but, uh...the trouble is that she’s coming for a visit. And I can’t just tell her that we broke up since she told me just after I lied about having a boyfriend, it would be...suspicious,” he ran his palms over his pants, trying to dry his palms.

“Ouch. Okay, I’m with you so far. I have to admit, as much as I enjoy hearing your woes, I’m surprised you’re telling me about them,” Sehun said, quirking an eyebrow slightly.

“About that...yeah. I kind of said my boyfriend was...you? That sounds so creepy, I know, I’m sorry. But I’d just passed by you so it was the first thing that came to mind-”

Sehun held up a hand, pausing Jongin’s continued nervous ramblings. “Hey, Jongin, it’s okay. I get it. Do you want me to help you lie to your mom?”

“I mean...if you wouldn’t mind. I promise, I’ll make it up to you somehow. I’ll owe you huge,” he said, still feeling a nervous pit in his stomach.

But Sehun only offered a small smile. “It’s okay, Jongin. I don’t mind. It could be kind of fun even.”

“Ah...one last thing...I also kind of said we live together?”

—

Jongin stood next to Sehun, shifting from foot to foot as he waited on his mom to arrive. He’d agreed that they’d pick her up from the train station, and Sehun had raised a brow and asked if he really needed to come along, but after the simple reminder that he’d already agreed to this, he sighed softly and got into the car. It took them a few hours of the previous afternoon to grab enough of Sehun’s things from his apartment to put into Jongin’s to make it look legitimate, just in case his mom got suspicious. He still didn’t know how he’d managed to actually get Sehun to agree to it, but had already thanked him probably a dozen times.

The train pulled up, and Jongin bumped Sehun’s arm with his own. “Get ready, I hope you can somewhat act,” he said, playful even though he was still just a little bit nervous. He didn’t like lying, especially not to his mom. But he wanted to quell her worries at the same time, and get her off of his back for a while. He just hoped it wouldn’t blow up in his face.

“Don’t worry, worst case scenario she just thinks I’m awkward. I have the advantage that she’s never met me,” Sehun said with a shrug.

Jongin laughed softly.

“Well, well, there you are, Jonginnie,” came a sudden voice calling out.

Jongin’s smile widened as he caught sight of his mom approaching them. He closed the distance, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Hi, Mom. I’m happy you’re here,” he said softly.

She kissed his cheek, squeezing him. “I’m happy I’m here too. You look well. But you’re getting a little thin, don’t you think? I’ll make you something good.”

He laughed, taking her bag from her. “Okay, Mom.” It was always easier this way instead of arguing, he’d given that up a long time ago.

But it was too late for anything he was going to try and say anyway, because his mom now had her sights set on Sehun, eyeing him warily. “This is the boyfriend?” she asked.

“That would be me. Sehun. It’s nice to meet you...ma’am,” he said with a small smile.

It wasn’t often that Jongin had gotten to see him smile. It was small, but it made him wonder how nice it might be to get him to smile for real. “Come on, Mom, you can interrogate him later if you want. Let’s go home, huh? You’ve had a long trip,” he said gently, tossing her bags into the trunk.

“Be careful with those,” she insisted.

Sehun opened the back door for her, which she smiled at gratefully, settling into the seat. “Nice car...you didn’t tell me you got a new one.”

“It’s not mine, it’s Sehun’s,” Jongin said, and got into the passenger’s side.

“Well, someone is rather fancy, isn’t he?” she teased, raising a manicured eyebrow slightly, “What do you do, Sehun?”

“Ah...I work in software,” Sehun said.

Jongin didn’t actually know that, he realized. And he wondered just how little he knew about him all around. They probably should have talked about it, but it had slipped his mind. He made a note to discuss it later, to cover their tracks when his mom would get too curious. For the evening he knew he could probably distract her with dinner and catching up on what was happening with the family, but he knew that inevitably her attention would be on Sehun.

—

They sat around the table, having a takeout dinner filled with Jongin’s mom telling them stories about what practically every one of Jongin’s cousins was up to. He could hardly keep track of which cousin was doing what by the end, but he could always fill it in with “oh that’s just like them, isn’t it?” and it seemed to do the trick.

Sehun was attentive, asking his mom questions about the people she spoke of as though he was going to remember them. Jongin doubted it, but he thought it was a nice touch anyway.

“Don’t worry about the dishes, I’ve got them,” Jongin assured her when she began to grab at the containers. 

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, yeah. You’re a guest in my house, Mom, come on. I’m not going to make you work. Go relax. Are you tired? I have a tub,” he kissed her cheek, gently coaxing her.

“Well...a bath sounds nice. And you’re right, it has been a bit of a tiring day, traveling and all. Those trains are much less clean than they used to be, I swear. So I think I may turn in for the night, leave you two lovebirds to some time to yourselves,” she said, shooting them a wink.

Jongin playfully rolled his eyes, Sehun snorted. But it wasn’t long before his mom turned to leave. “I can get this, don’t worry,” he offered.

“It’s no trouble,” Sehun shrugged.

He smiled a little, and they cleared the table in silence. Faintly he could hear the sound of the tub being filled, and he hummed quietly. “I know my mom can be a little much...sorry in advance,” he said as he washed the dishes. 

Sehun was drying them off as Jongin handed them to him. “She’s cute, a sweet lady. I don’t mind. It’s kind of nice, my mom is always working. I haven’t actually spent more than a few hours with her in years. So it’s nice being around your mom.”

“Really? Why? I mean, sorry, I probably shouldn’t ask that…” he trailed.

“It’s okay. Just her work...she’s a workaholic honestly. The kind of person who is on her phone constantly even on vacations type of thing? Or still typing an email while talking to you? That’s my mom. It’s how she’s been for a long time.” He pursed his lips slightly. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. I guess we’re pretty much opposites on this one, then, yeah? You want your mom to care more, I want my mom to care less,” he said, trying to be playful.

Sehun smiled a little, “Pretty much. But hey, should we...I don’t know, get our story straight?”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess we forgot to do that earlier, huh? Well we’ve been supposedly dating for months now. Maybe we met…mm, grocery store? You could have helped me pick a melon.”

“A melon?” Sehun asked, placing the last plate onto the dry rack.

“I saw it in a movie once I think,” Jongin laughed.

“Why don’t we try slightly more honest? We were neighbors who talked sometimes, then one day I asked you out. You said yes, we had a fantastic time, and we’ve been here ever since,” Sehun said, leaning against the counter.

Jongin couldn’t help but smile a little. “That works. But if you’re the one who asked me out initially, I’m the one who asked you to move in, deal?”

“Deal. How affectionate is your mom expecting, anyway?”

“Ah...I don’t know, a normal amount I’d guess. Enough that she won’t think anything is suspicious.” He offered Sehun a beer from the fridge.

Sehun took it with a nod. “Fair. Are you expecting me to kiss you?”

Jongin took a drink from his bottle, letting the taste of it savor in his mouth before swallowing. “If needed, but you don’t have to jump into that, okay? A little hand holding should work wonders.”

“Cool. Here’s to our fake relationship,” Sehun said, voice tinged with amusement.

Jongin laughed and clinked their bottles together.

—

“Uh...I’ll sleep on the floor?” Sehun whispered.

Jongin hummed softly. His mom had gone to bed not long before, and they’d worked out a few more lies to feed her if needed. “I feel bad if that’s the case…”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. And it’s less risky than me trying to sneak back and forth to my apartment and back here. Is your mom a light sleeper?”

“Yes and no? She sleeps like a log but she has to pee a lot, so you never know when she’ll be creeping around,” Jongin said, laying his robe over the chair. Normally he slept in just his boxers, but given the situation he thought it would be more suitable to stick to sweatpants and tank tops.

“Yeah, gotcha. So couch would be weird too. Floor it is, no worries,” Sehun shrugged, settling a blanket and pillow onto the floor already.

He watched him quietly for a moment, Sehyn looked cute in his blue pajama pants and matching top. “How about we switch every night? So we both get equally stuck with the floor.”

“That’s fine too, but don’t worry about me too much, Jongin. It’s good for the back anyway, you know? That’s what they say,” Sehun offered a small smile.

Jongin crawled under his covers, burrowing up to his face. “Thank you again for doing this. I know you said you don’t mind, but I still appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Goodnight, Jongin.”

“Goodnight, Sehun.”

—

Jongin shifted on the couch, maneuvering so he didn’t press quite so hard against Sehun. A romantic comedy was playing on the screen, something his mom had insisted they all watched together. It was a movie that she hadn’t seen when it was in theaters, and she said she was too tired to go out. So Jongin readily agreed to a night in with a movie and too much popcorn. The dogs were all cuddled in around their feet, though Sehun’s decided to perch on his mom’s lap halfway through.

He noticed that his mom kept glancing at them, so Jongin had tried his best to get close like he and Sehun were an actual couple. Sehun only smiled a little and put his arm on the back of the couch, half keeping Jongin close. It was nice, he had to admit, having the warmth of someone so close and the strangely protective feeling of Sehun’s arm around his shoulders.

He plucked a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl, popping them into his mouth. He could feel Sehun’s breathing from how close they were sitting, the rise and fall of his chest as he watched the screen. Glancing, he watched Sehun’s face for a moment, taking in the calm way his eyes were focused, the perfectly straight nose and the soft swell of his lips. Handsome, he decided rather quickly.

Sehun glanced at him, lips twitching upward in a smile. “What?” he asked, voice half whispering.

Jongin shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, raising a piece of popcorn to Sehun’s mouth.

“Nerd,” Sehun muttered playfully, but parted his lips to let Jongin push the piece into his mouth.

“Cute,” he said simply, and this time laid his head on Sehun’s shoulder.

—

Jongin yawned, settling into the bed. Sehun had insisted that he’d take the floor again, even though Jongin reminded him of their switching agreement. “Why do I feel so tired? We hardly did anything today,” Jongin mused quietly. 

“Me too, honestly. It’s weird coming back from work and not going to my own apartment though.”

He smiled a little, “Yeah, I’m sorry for that. If you need like...a break or whatever you can always go there and I can say you have to work late, I don’t mind. You’re already doing me a huge favor.”

“Stop thanking me, it’s really no trouble. Your mom is really sweet, and I mean...you’re a cool guy,” Sehun said, though his voice cut out at the end to yawn.

“Oh yeah? Well you’re not-“

The words died on his lips as the bedroom door opened, his mom stepping inside as she was smoothing out a face mask. “Jongin, I wanted to ask- oh. Did you two have a fight?” She frowned, glancing between him and Sehun on the floor.

Jongin swore softly. “Mom, jeez. I love you but can you knock? We could have been...indisposed,” he reminded her. It was much safer if she thought they were having sex than the real reason.

“Oh, sure, sure, I just wanted to know where you’d put my tea...but really, is something wrong?” 

“No, everything is fine,” Sehun said, “sometimes sleeping down here is just...easier on my back, you know?”

Jongin stifled the urge to laugh. “Your tea is to the right of the sink, Mom.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll just leave you two to whatever you’re really up to in here,” she said with a coy wink before leaving, the door falling closed behind her.

“Fuck, that was close,” he groaned, falling back onto the pillows.

Sehun snorted, “Yeah, really. We’re going to need a better excuse for that one.”

Jongin paused for a moment, considering. “No, come on, that’s silly. Just come here, get in bed with me. It’s no big deal, we’re already having to hold hands and all, right? It’s a big bed, you’ll be more comfortable anyway.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, come on. It’ll be fine. And my mom can’t say anything this way, right? What do we have to lose?” Jongin honestly wasn’t sure about that, though. He didn’t mind being close to Sehun or the touches he’d begun slowly growing used to, but he didn’t quite now how it would be to sleep in the same bed with a practical stranger.

There was a moment of silence, but Sehun said nothing. A moment later, he stood, grabbing his makeshift bed from the floor to settle it onto the other side of Jongin’s bed.

He watched Sehun for a moment as he did, waiting until he crawled into the bed. Sehun was staying far away from him, almost as though nervous to take up too much of the bed. “It’s like a sleepover,” Jongin said, wanting to break the strange tension in the air.

Sehun snorted. 

Jongin smiled a little and reached out, placing his hand on Sehun’s. “Don’t worry so much, okay? Everything will be fine.” He didn’t know what Sehun’s as worrying about, if he was even worried at all, but it felt like he should reassure him to make sure that everything would be okay after all. 

—

He yawned as he stood in front of the dozens of figurines, making out which of them seemed a more accurate representation of the city. His mom had insisted that since it was Saturday, she wanted to go see the city, even though she’d lived there for a few years herself. But Jongin was never one to argue with his mom, so he simply asked if Sehun wanted to join. It was his out if he had something he wanted to do, could have easily said that he wanted to stay at home or had to work. He did have the advantage that Jongin’s mom didn’t really know him much yet, after all. 

But he’d just smiled and said it sounded like fun. Now they were in the middle of one of the gift shops, looking at what sort of gift his mom should take back to the rest of the family. “What are you looking for, Mom?” Jongin asked, glancing at where she stood looking at decorative fans.

“I don’t know...nothing too tacky,” she said, humming quietly to herself as she picked things up and placed them back down.

Sehun held up a cup with the city’s skyline on it. “What about this? Useful, at the very least.” He shrugged.

“Is it too breakable?” she asked. 

“It’s probably more sturdy than half of this stuff,” Sehun offered, handing her a cup.

She pursed her lips, considering it. “Maybe…” was all she said before walking to another section of the store, cup still in hand. 

“I have to say, it’s been an interesting day,” Sehun said softly, coming to stand by Jongin’s side. 

Jongin smiled a little. “What do you mean?” 

“Well...I feel like a tourist, but it’s kind of fun. You can see things you don’t usually, which is sort of cool I guess.” He picked up a dog figurine.

“True. My mom’s lived here before, but I think she likes to laugh about tacky souvenirs. I don’t mind, I like seeing the city hall and that one weird statue, and we haven’t even gone to the fountain yet,” he reminded him.

“Fountain?” 

“Yeah, you know the one. We’ll probably go after this. Mom always liked stopping there,” he shrugged, bumping his shoulder into Sehun’s.

True to Jongin’s prediction, as soon as they’d checked out from the gift shop (his mom settled on the cups after all), she’d aimed for the fountain. It wasn’t the most obvious place in the city, but it was away from the main streets just a few blocks that it wasn’t far. He remembered when they lived there they’d pass by all the time, and stopped to make a wish.

“This is nice, boys. Thank you for taking me around to see these beautiful things,” she said with a smile, gently squeezing their shoulders. 

“What are you going to wish for?” Jongin asked, smiling as he bent a little to kiss her cheek.

“You know you aren’t supposed to say,” she teased. “But I’ll say one non-fountain wish is that I do hope you two stay together. You smile a lot around him, Jonginnie.”

Jongin’s mouth dropped open a little in surprise. “D-do I?” he asked, accidentally stumbling over his words.

Sehun’s eyes widened a little, and Jongin reached out to grasp his hand. They’d held hands countless times that day, but he hoped Sehun knew he was aiming for comfort this time around.

“You do, it makes an old mom like me very happy to see,” she said. And then she closed her eyes, made her wish, and tossed a coin into the fountain.

Jongin watched as Sehun went next, the way his fingers smoothed over the surface of the coin as though deep in thought. His other hand remained clasped in Jongin’s. After a moment, he too closed his eyes, and tossed in the coin. 

He couldn’t help but smile at the way the remaining light of the sun lit up Sehun’s face, his expression so unguarded. He was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. His lips twitched into a smile as he observed Sehun slowly open his eyes again. “What did you wish for?” he asked, voice softer than he expected.

“Your mom said we shouldn’t say,” Sehun said, a playful smile on his lips.

“Oh, fine, if you want to side with her,” Jongin teased. He considered for a moment, running his fingers over the coin. What did he want to wish for? What would make him happy? He turned, closed his eyes, letting the sun warm him for a moment as he thought. It occurred to him, and he smiled a little. Tossing in the coin, he wished that he and Sehun would stay close.

—

“How long is your mom here for, anyway?” Sehun asked as they prepared to go to bed, unbuttoning his shirt.

Jongin shrugged, turning the covers up on the bed. “I don’t know, really. She said a week, but my mom can be a little...unpredictable. You’ve probably figured that one out, though.”

“A little,” Sehun agreed, but his tone was light. He folded his shirt over the chair, but Jongin held out his hand. “What?”

“I’ll hang it up, you don’t want it to get wrinkled,” he said with a smile. He retrieved the shirt and slipped it onto a hanger. When he returned to the bedroom, Sehun was in just his undershirt and underwear. Jongin tried not to let his gaze linger, but he couldn’t quite help the way his gaze danced over broad shoulders and a narrow waist, not to mention the pretty curve of his ass-

“Enjoying the view?”

Heat rose to Jongin’s face, even though Sehun was facing away from him. “What are you talking about?” he mumbled, quickly shuffling to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Mostly so he didn’t have to stare at Sehun or feel embarrassed for being called out for it.

Unfortunately, luck was never on his side. And only a minute later, Sehun was standing in the doorway, leaning against it as he watched Jongin, still in his underwear. “I don’t mind, you know.”

Jongin frowned a little, trying to keep his gaze on brushing his teeth and not on Sehun’s long limbs and muscles he wanted to touch. It was the exact opposite of what he should have been doing.

“Not...I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind you looking at me that way either, but I meant...in general. I know you keep saying if I need a break or if I have some other life I need to get to, but I really don’t,” he shrugged.

Jongin spit toothpaste into the sink, taking a minute to think as he rinsed his mouth out. He began to reach for the towel when Sehun beat him to it, handing it off silently. He dabbed at his mouth before straightening, settling the towel back onto the ring. “Really? I find that hard to believe.”

Sehun shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. Jongin’s gaze ran over his broad shoulders again before he reminded himself to not leer. “Really,” Sehun continued. “Most of the time I just go to work and then go home where I just watch tv and eat dinner alone before it’s time to go to bed and do it all over again. I go out with friends once in a while, but as a whole...I really don’t have much of a life to speak of. So It’s been nice...being with you and your mom. Even my dog agrees.”

Part of him wondered if that meant something more than Sehun was saying, but he realized he didn’t know why he was curious. What did it matter? This was all for show anyway, just to get his mom off his back. “It’s been nice having you here...it’s been a while since I lived with anyone. But I like it.”

“Yeah? Have you lived with boyfriends before?”

“Just once. We were together for about two months before he asked me to move in. It didn’t really work out, I realized we didn’t have anything in common except our sex life...so you know, there wasn’t much to build on,” he said with a quiet laugh. His mom didn’t even know about that one, but his relationship with Yifan had been a bumpy ride. He was glad that he’d kept it quiet.

“Ah...I’m sorry. I’ve never lived with anyone before,” Sehun said.

“Really? Well I guess I’m your test run then,” he teased, flicking water from his fingertips onto Sehun playfully as he walked past him to go to bed.

—

“Another week?” Jongin asked, a little bewildered at his mom’s sudden proclamation that she wasn’t ready to go home yet. They were sitting in the living room, sharing cups of tea as she asked about his job. Sehun was still at work.

“Is that a problem?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she lifted the cup to her lips.

Jongin knew better than to argue, she would never forgive it. “No, of course not, Mom, I was just surprised,” he recovered, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “I love having you here.”

“That’s what I thought,” she said playfully, shooting him a wink. “You and Sehun should do something.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, already a little suspicious.

“Date night. Come on, you two have been so sweet entertaining me all week, you probably want some time alone. Go ahead, I’ll just give myself a little pampering tonight, so don’t worry about me. What do you say?”

There wasn’t really a reason to say no, not if he and Sehun were together. If he said he didn’t want a date night with his own boyfriend, it would immediately ring her alarm bells. “Ah...only if you’re sure, Mom. We like being with you,” he assured her. Maybe if he made it about her it wouldn’t be as off.

“No, no, I won’t hear it. You two go out and have a wild time. You’re young, you deserve it.”

Jongin took a long, considering sip of his tea. “Okay,” was all he could muster.

—

When Sehun walked through the door, Jongin popped his head out of the kitchen. “Hey, welcome home,” he called, wiping his hands on a dish towel to dry them before he went into the living room. 

“Hey,” Sehun said with a little smile, glancing around, likely to see if Jongin’s mom was around. 

“She’s resting, don’t worry,” Jongin said, voice lowering to a whisper. “She wants us to go out tonight, date night.”

Sehun’s eyebrow raised slightly, toeing off his shoes in the entryway as Jongin took his jacket to hang up. “Date night?”

“She insisted. So I mean...if there’s something you wanted to do, it’s up to you, we can lie about our night if you’re busy,” he said. He felt bad asking Sehun to do so much for him all the time, even though he insisted that he didn’t mind and even enjoyed it. But being at home and pretending was a little bit different than just the two of them out in public.

“No, it’s okay. It sounds fun. We at least need to eat dinner, right? So why not together?” Sehun said, offering a small smile.

Whenever Sehun’s expression turned more pleasant than usual, Jongin felt a strange turn in his stomach. He liked making him happy, liked the way Sehun seemed amused with him sometimes. “Okay...cool,” he said, smiling and squeezing Sehun’s hand as thanks.

—

“Well don’t you both look handsome,” his mom gushed, looking them over.

Jongin laughed, a little embarrassed. “Mom, come on,” he said, playfully whiny.

“It’s true! So handsome, don’t you think, Sehun?”

There was a smile playing on Sehun’s lips. “He is,” he agreed, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Jongin’s cheek, “So handsome. He always leaves me speechless.”

A warmth spread to Jongin’s cheeks, from the praise and the way that Sehun’s lips felt against his cheek. It was brief, but that alone was enough to send tingles down his spine. Sehun usually stuck to hand holding or the occasional arm wrapped around him, so he was taken aback by the sudden affection. “Hey, look who’s talking.” And it was true. He couldn’t help but think that Sehun looked sexy in his black button-down shirt and pants that hugged his ass in a way that Jongin couldn’t help but look.

“Should I promise to have him back by midnight or something?” Sehun teased Jongin’s mom, his fingers wrapping around Jongin’s own.

She laughed, “I hope you don’t. Stay out, be in love.”

It took them only a few minutes to figure out where they should go on their date, both of them deciding that Italian food was always a good choice. Sehun said he knew a good place, and Jongin was happy to agree. On the ride over, Jongin couldn’t help but let his gaze settle onto Sehun, the ride giving him an excuse to appreciate him and his handsome face, and the strange appeal of watching him drive.

When they arrived, Jongin realized that Sehun really was aiming for a date-like experience. Since it was just the two of them and they didn’t have to pretend, Jongin expected to just do something casual. But that wasn’t the case, the restaurant looked upscale and nice. He continued to be a little bit surprised when Sehun opened his door for him. He smiled, and stepped out of the car. “Such a gentleman,” he said playfully.

Sehun snorted softly, and they began to walk to the door. 

Suddenly, a hand was on the small of his back, guiding him gently. An unexpected warmth spread over Jongin at the gesture, not expecting it from Sehun when no one was watching them or waiting on them to seem like they were together. But he didn’t say anything, he didn’t want to ruin the moment or the sanctity of having the gentle touch.

It was only a few more moments before they were sitting at the table, and Jongin was a little surprised to realize he felt a little bit nervous. He couldn’t explain why, just that he somehow wanted to impress him in some way. “Do you feel weird?” he asked, though he felt like maybe he shouldn’t have asked that.

“Weird? No, not really. Do you?” Sehun asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Ah...I mean, a little? I don’t know why though,” he admitted with a quiet laugh. 

“Do you not want to be here with me?” Sehun asked, though his voice was gentle, curious instead of accusatory.

“No, it isn’t that,” he said immediately. “It’s just...I don’t know. You’re just so sweet…”

A smile slipped onto Sehun’s face, and he reached out, tracing his finger along Jongin’s cheek. “Do I make you shy, Jongin?”

His stomach was in knots at the touch, and he couldn’t help but lean into it. “Maybe.”

“Cute,” was all Sehun said. And then the waiter was there, and he pulled away from Jongin so they could order.

—

They were quiet as they returned to the apartment. Their dinner was filled with conversation, Sehun didn’t tease him after the first few moments, instead they focused on talking about their lives outside of their pretend relationship. Jongin learned about Sehun’s job (a lot of technical information he hardly understood), his family back in a small town, and his love for cats (particularly Ragdoll breeds). It was nice, and Jongin felt like he could listen to him forever, his soothing voice talking through the little unique parts that made him up. It almost felt like his cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much by the time dessert rolled around.

“This was fun,” Sehun was the first to break the silence as they entered the bedroom.

Jongin’s fingers were undoing the buttons on his shirt, and he smiled a little. “It was,” he agreed, “Are you surprised?”

Sehun hummed, running a hand through his hair. “No. I’ve enjoyed every night with you so far, so surprised isn’t the right word. But it is nice. Just different...than when it’s with your mom. I guess because it’s just us, we didn’t have to pretend.”

He reached the end of the shirt, and he nodded, stepping closer to place his hand onto Sehun’s wrist. “I know what you mean. I liked it too, spending time with you.”

There was a moment of silence, almost stillness, where they just watched each other. Jongin felt like every nerve was standing at attention from the heavy gaze Sehun was watching him with. He didn’t want to break it by continuing to talk, but suddenly Sehun took a step even closer.

“Se-” he started, but the words died on his lips when there was an arm wrapping around his waist, pulling him in close. His heart was pounding in his chest, so loud he could have sworn Sehun might be able to hear it if he listened. And then Sehun was kissing him, soft warm lips pressing against his. It was electric and warm, and somehow familiar in a way that Jongin couldn’t begin to describe. He paused for the briefest of moments before kissing him back, running his fingers through Sehun’s hair as he leaned into the kiss.

He didn’t want it to end, wanted to feel the gentle pressure of Sehun’s lips and the gentle sweep of his tongue against the seam of his lips for as long as he was allowed. But before he could even begin to wrap his head around those thoughts, Sehun pulled away. His arm remained around Jongin’s waist, keeping him close as they stared at one another. Jongin licked his lips, staring into Sehun’s dark eyes, an unreadable expression written in them.

“Was that okay?” Sehun asked softly.

“Very…” Jongin said, a smile slipping onto his face. He felt silly saying it like that, but words were the last thing on his mind. “It was...really nice.”

Sehun smiled, unguarded for once. It was so beautiful. “I thought so too. Come on, let’s get ready for bed,” Sehun said.

Jongin wondered briefly if there was something more to those words, but he simply nodded. Sehun tightened his hold for the briefest of moments before letting him go. He immediately missed the comfort of his embrace. Internally, he swore. This was supposed to be all for show.

They returned to silence as they changed into their pajamas and brushed their teeth, a comfortable feeling of routine to their actions. But when they got into bed, Jongin on the left side and Sehun to the right, he could feel the weight of the silence bearing down on them. Maybe it was all in his mind, but he couldn’t help but replay their kiss over and over in his mind.

“Jongin?” Sehun said softly, voice hardly more than a whisper.

“Hm?”

A hand reached out, wrapping around his softly. “Don’t think so much. If you liked it, it’s okay...if you didn’t, it’s okay too.”

“Of course I liked it…” he said, not wanting Sehun to think that. He wasn’t quite ready to consider what it meant, or that he wasn’t supposed to feel anything for his neighbor.

“Good,” was all he said.

—

After that, their touches became easier. The next few days Sehun didn’t seem hesitant when he reached for Jongin’s hand, and he occasionally wrapped his arms around Jongin’s waist, hugging him from behind while he did the dishes. And Jongin didn’t mind, could only smile and lean into him, but it was more instinct than trying to play into the facade they’d created.

He woke the next few mornings with Sehun’s arms wrapped around him, their legs tangled together. He didn’t know what to make of it, so he simply didn’t comment on it before he tried to untangle himself from Sehun’s touch. He sighed softly on the third morning of waking up in Sehun’s embrace. It was early, and Sehun didn’t need to be awake for another hour, Jongin had an extra two. He turned his head, gazing at Sehun’s sleeping face. He looked so peaceful that way, with his pretty lips parted and his dark eyelashes brushing gently over his pale cheeks.

Reaching out, he brushed the stray hair from his eyes, not wanting it to bother him in his sleep.

He was screwed, he realized. At the end of the week his mom was supposed to leave, and in theory Sehun was supposed to go back to his life. But the very thought made Jongin feel a little nauseous, for reasons he could suspect. Somehow it became so easy to fall into normal with Sehun, it became the new form of normal to wake up to him and fall asleep kissing him. 

He was beyond screwed.

—

Jongin laughed, pointing at the onion Sehun was attempting to chop. “I said dice, not destroy,” he teased, his voice light and playful. 

”Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know this kitchen was run by a dictator,” Sehun said, his lips twitching in a smile.

“Have you ever cooked before in your life? It isn’t my fault I have to teach you everything.” He shrugged, turning back to chopping garlic. His mom was on the phone in the other room, he could hear a word every now and again, likely talking to his aunt who she told everything to. He’d already caught on that they were discussing his and Sehun’s relationship, which wasn’t much of a surprise given how much he knew his mom cared about it. But at least from the word or two he’d caught, they’d been ‘sweet’ and ‘Jongin’s happy’ so he didn’t bother to be offended.

“Why would I cook when there’s so many takeout options in this world?”

“How about we revisit this after you’ve tried my sauce, okay? I only have a couple of great recipes but I’m damn well going to use them.” He shook the spoon at Sehun, jokingly threatening.

Sehun snorted. “Okay, great one, we’ll see about that.”

Jongin was glad that Sehun was at least good at following instructions, handing him the spices and ingredients he asked for along the way. There was a moment of silence after the pasta was dropped into the water, the sauce simmering away. Jongin stirred the water, humming softly to himself when he felt hands caress his hips.

A pleasant shiver ran along his spine, and he couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto his face. “Getting bored?” he asked, though his voice was still joking. 

“No, you’re just really cute when you’re so focused,” Sehun said seriously. 

Jongin laughed, but then he was being turned around and Sehun’s lips found his. It was a bit more insistent and less tentative than some of their precious kisses had been, and Jongin couldn’t help the quiet gasp he let out as a result.

He was guided gently back against the counter, forgetting the spoon for the pasta as Sehun kissed him. His fingers circled Sehun’s neck, pulling him in deeper as he licked at Sehun’s lips.

There was a quiet groan into the kiss, and Sehun’s fingers tightened on Jongin’s hips. Jongin’s head was spinning as Sehun kissed him, swirling with thoughts of how much he wanted him and how much he wasn’t supposed to. Why was he kissing him like this? His mom was nowhere around, but it wasn’t as if it was the first time either. For some reason Jongin didn’t have an answer to, Sehun kept wanting to kiss him even when they were alone, and Jongin was happy to keep kissing him back.

He felt weak with the way Sehun pressed against him, holding him against the counter as he kissed him breathless. He could feel every press of his fingers into his flesh, could feel the moan building in the back of his throat as they kissed. It was too much, there was a heat building between them that he couldn’t seem to put out, and didn’t even know if he wanted to.

“Oh- sorry to interrupt,” came the sound of a voice. 

Jongin started, jerking away from Sehun. Sehun turned, a lot more calm. There was Jongin’s mom, an amused smile on her lips. “Ah…” he started, but realized he had nothing to say, quickly slipping past Sehun to stir the pasta.

“I was just going to tell you your aunt says hi, don’t mind me,” she said playfully before turning on her heel.

—

Confusion settled over Jongin, and he groaned softly. He was moving, he came to realize, but the thought made him frown. Why would he be moving? Was he not just asleep? Blinking a few times, he caught sight of Sehun’s face above him, and all at once became aware that Sehun was carrying him.

“Huh…?” he muttered, unable to form much of a complete sentence.

Sehun looked down, “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.” And he was carefully laying Jongin into bed. 

He blinked again, slowly remembering. After their dinner, they’d all sat around to watch a movie, and he’d fallen asleep leaning against Sehun’s shoulder. “I’m sorry...you didn’t have to carry me or anything,” he said, feeling a little bit bad.

“You looked really peaceful, I wanted you to be comfortable.” Sehun shrugged like it was something that happened often. 

“Thank you.” He smiled, pulling the covers tighter around himself.

Sehun only patted his arm as he left for the bathroom. 

As tired as Jongin had been, he found his thoughts circling again, quickly becoming less and less tired. No one had ever really cared for him like that before. It was a selfless gesture, and it made him feel warm inside.

By the time Sehun returned, Jongin was wide awake. “Sehun...will you kiss me?”

There was a faint look of surprise on his face, before it quickly changed to an amused smirk. “I thought you were tired,” he reminded him. 

“Fine. If you won’t kiss me, I’ll just kiss you.”

Surprise dawned on Sehun’s face for the briefest of moments, and Jongin slid over until he was pressed against Sehun’s side, his hand coming to cup his cheek. There was a moment of stillness, and then Sehun turned to face him and Jongin leaned in. The kiss started gently, the soft movement of Sehun’s lips against his own. Sehun reached to wind his arms around Jongin’s waist, suddenly pulling him on top of him. 

A soft noise slipped from the back of his throat, and he couldn’t help but notice how strangely enticing it was for Sehun handle him like that. He settled his legs on either side of Sehun’s hips, and deepened the kiss, licking his way into Sehun’s mouth. Little waves of pleasure filled him as Sehun’s hands slid along his back before settling almost at the swell of his ass.

Jongin softly nipped at his bottom lip, and reached behind him to slide Sehun’s hand onto his ass instead. Taking the hint, Sehun’s other hand immediately joined, groping his ass as they kissed, increasingly desperate and needy. Jongin ran his hand along Sehun’s chest, feeling the muscles that he’d craved to touch.

“Jongin...I want you,” Sehun said softly, lips brushing against his as he spoke.

Another tingle of pleasure spread through him at the admission. “So have me,” he said, voice low.

Sehun groaned softly, but that seemed to be enough. Suddenly his hands were on Jongin’s hips and he was flipping them over until Jongin rested on his back, Sehun settled between his thighs. Immediately, their kiss resumed, and Jongin moaned softly as Sehun’s hips rolled against his. There were too many layers still between them, but he wasn’t about to complain at the delicious contact. Sehun moved to press open-mouthed kisses along his jawline and down his neck, and Jongin leaned into him, wanting every moment of contact he could get. His mind was spinning that maybe they shouldn’t do this, it would be confusing, but then Sehun sucked a spot near his collarbone and all he could think was pleasure.

Jongin moaned, his fingers running through Sehun’s hair. He wanted more, already on edge from the smallest of touches. The way Sehun’s hips kept brushing against his and the sensation of his lips against his neck was too much together, and he suddenly moved to wrap his fingers around the hem of Sehun’s shirt, pulling on it in a hint. There were way too many clothes between them, he craved more, craved seeing Sehun’s exposed skin.

Taking the hint, Sehun pulled off, which almost made Jongin whine at the sudden loss. But then he was on his knees and pulling his tank top over his head, tossing it onto the floor next to them. He bit his lip softly, taking in the sight of Sehun. He was even better than Jongin hoped he would be, with his defined muscles and the sharp narrowing from his broad shoulders to his small waist. He couldn’t resist, reaching out to run his hand along his chest and along his stomach. 

“I knew you liked what you saw,” Sehun said playfully.

Jongin couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed at the cockiness, only reaching to pull him down again so he could capture his lips with his own. “I did...I do,” he admitted.

Sehun groaned softly against his lips, and then his hands were running under Jongin’s shirt. He gasped, cool hands sliding against his hot skin, his stomach contracting a bit at the sudden coolness. His shirt was being pushed up, and suddenly Sehun pulled away from his lips, moving to press kisses on his chest. Jongin moaned quietly, unable to help the sound as Sehun kissed all along his skin. Lips moved against his chest, and he bit his lip as Sehun’s tongue swirled around one of his nipples. One hand was still pushing the shirt up, and Jongin reached to grab it, lifting up just enough to pull it over his head and toss it in the general direction of the floor. Sehun wasn’t deterred by the movement, his hands running along Jongin’s sides as he switched to the other nipple. His tongue pressed flat against it, and Jongin’s cock twitched at the sensation. 

“Sehun...god...don’t be a tease,” he said softly, already feeling a bit silly for wanting to beg.

But Sehun didn’t seem to mind, teeth lightly grazing a nipple before he pulled away. “So needy already,” he said playfully, and then his hands were on Jongin’s pants, sliding around the waistband before glancing up to his face, hesitating.

Jongin nodded slightly, and Sehun took that as the okay, moving so he wasn’t between Jongin’s legs. Jongin lifted his hips up slightly to help Sehun pull his pants down over his hips, sliding them off and tossing them behind him. He felt almost exposed already, even though he was still in his underwear because his cock was already half-hard. 

“God, you’re so hot,” Sehun muttered, and the almost-embarrassed look on his face made Jongin wonder if he had intended to say that out loud.

He didn’t get the chance to wonder, though, because then everything was in motion again, and Sehun was off the bed, sliding his own pants down before stepping out of them. Jongin swallowed, eyeing him hungrily. Sehun looked just as excited as he felt, and Jongin’s gaze bore into his cock. He could make out the outline of his cock, and he noticed the thickness and curve of it, and Jongin realized how big he was. It didn’t take long for Jongin to situate himself to pull his underwear down and off, enjoying the way Sehun’s gaze was so fixated on him. But then Sehun was joining him, slipping his briefs down and quickly stepping out of them.

“There’s...lube in the drawer,” Jongin said quietly, unable to let his gaze move from Sehun’s cock. It was pretty, somehow, and he yearned to taste him. But even more, he wanted to feel that cock splitting him open. 

He realized too late that along with the lube in his bedside table was a dildo, but he noticed Sehun likely saw it by the way his eyebrow raised slightly. Jongin couldn’t find it in himself to care, it had been too long since he’d had a real cock inside him.

All at once, Sehun returned to the bed, tossing the lube and a condom onto the bed next to Jongin as he crawled back on to rejoin him. “Here...let me,” Jongin said, taking the lube.

Sehun watched him closely. Jongin squirted some of the gel onto his fingers, spreading it around to warm it slightly before he shifted to spread his legs wide, knees bent. He could feel Sehun’s heavy gaze, exploring his body and running over his cock and the pink bud of his entrance. He liked the idea of Sehun watching him, of putting on a show for him. His fingers circled his rim, playful and teasing himself before he slowly pushed two fingers in at once.

“Fuck…” Sehun swore, voice breathy as he watched.

Jongin’s teeth ran over his bottom lip, savoring the sensation of his fingers inside himself. He was used to this, his own fingers had been keeping him company for a while. He slowly began to thrust them inside himself, savoring the sensation of exploring his own walls and spreading himself open to prepare for Sehun’s cock. Just the thought of being so filled made his cock twitch again, and he let out a soft moan. 

It didn’t take him long to add the third finger, fucking himself open on them as his head tilted back onto the pillow. Pleasure was spreading through him, and he spared a glance to Sehun. He was fisting his cock, slowly working himself as he watched Jongin, his gaze completely fixated on watching Jongin’s fingers slip in and out of himself.

“Fuck me,” he said, voice breaking a little on the words. It was less of a statement and sounded already like he was lost in pleasure, which wasn’t far off. Everything was setting him on edge.

“You are... _fuck_ ,” Sehun said, the words dying on his lips as Jongin’s fingers slipped out of himself with a lewd noise, his hole fluttering around air for a moment. But whatever Sehun was about to say didn’t seem to matter much, and he retrieved the condom, rolling it onto his cock before he squirted a generous amount of lube onto his cock, spreading it around.

Sehun settled between his thighs again, and Jongin ran his hand along his stomach and chest, savoring the sensation. His hands ran along Jongin’s thighs, and Jongin sighed softly at the gentle gesture. But then Sehun was moving to guide his cock to Jongin’s entrance, circling it with the head of his cock teasingly. Jongin whimpered softly, uttering a soft plea before Sehun slowly began to push.

Jongin gasped as his hole stretched around Sehun’s cock, sucking him in. His cock was so big, stretching him so full that it made him shiver. Sehun slowly continued to press into him, and Jongin fisted the sheets, wondering if he would be able to take all of him in. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, and he moaned softly, savoring the sensation of being so filled already. “So big…” he mumbled, and Sehun rubbed soothing circles into his hips.

“You’re doing amazing, baby...you feel so good,” Sehun said softly as he bottomed out.

A wave of pleasure spread through him, suddenly wanting Sehun to call him baby all the time. He took a deep breath, savoring the feeling of being stretched open on his cock. He appreciated that Sehun was waiting, letting him adjust, but he was feeling impatient. He wanted more, wanted everything that Sehun was able to give him. He rolled his hips back against Sehun, urging him on.

Sehun leaned down, capturing Jongin’s lips with his own in a needy kiss as he slowly began to move his hips. Jongin’s cock twitched, and he moaned again into the kiss, his hands running along Sehun’s back to pull him closer. Their tongues brushed against each other over and over as Sehun slowly fucked Jongin open, his thrusts deep and slow inside him. It was enough to drive him crazy, and he pressed against him again, urging more, always wanting more.

Suddenly, Sehun’s hips snapped, and Jongin bit back a loud moan that threatened to spill out. His mom was still in the apartment, that was the last thing he needed. Sehun kissed him again, swallowing the sounds he released as he fucked him. Pleasure ran through him, and Sehun groaned against him, running his hands along Jongin’s body. His mind was swirling with thoughts of Sehun, his name like a prayer running through his mind with every movement. His legs tightened around Sehun’s hips, locking his ankles behind his back, wanting him deeper, wanting even more. He could hardly think straight, and he was letting out a refrain of moans into Sehun’s mouth as he fucked him.

Pleasure shot through him, and he fisted the sheets again. His cock was pulsing every time Sehun’s cock brushed against that sweet bundle of nerves inside him. “There...right there...harder,” he said desperately, breaking the kiss only to speak the words against his lips.

He could feel Sehun’s lips twitch in what he suspected was a smile, but then Sehun moved away from his lips, arms wrapping around his waist as he began to fuck into him more harshly. Jongin had to press his hand against his own mouth, stifling the sounds that desperately wanted to slip out as he felt Sehun splitting him open with every thrust. He felt weak and he couldn’t even think, his mind just awash with thoughts of Sehun and his beautiful cock inside him.

“Touch yourself, baby,” Sehun ordered, whispering against his ear as his hips snapped repeatedly. 

Jongin obeyed, reaching between their sweat-slicked bodies to curl his fingers around his cock, weeping with precome already. He groaned against his other hand, still trying to stifle his sounds even though he knew any other time he’d be left screaming Sehun’s name.

Sehun wasn’t much better, having to press open-mouthed kisses against his shoulder so he didn’t make sounds, but Jongin could feel them, words of pleasure melting into his skin. Sehun’s hips quickened to a frantic pace, and Jongin’s fingers sped up with him, white hot pleasure filling him up. He hit his breaking point with a muffled scream, biting down harshly on his own wrist as waves of pleasure surged through his body, spilling over his hand and onto their stomachs.

Sehun was immediately after, his hold tightening desperately around Jongin’s waist and he bit into his shoulder. Jongin gasped at the sensation, his cock pulsing weakly at the strange mix of pleasure and pain he hadn’t anticipated. But then Sehun was gasping against him, and Jongin clenched around his cock a few times, wanting to milk his release until Sehun whined softly.

It took them long moments to catch their breath again, Jongin’s legs unhooking from Sehun’s hips and he ran his hand along his back soothingly. “Okay?” he asked softly.

“You’re amazing,” Sehun said, capturing Jongin’s lips in a gentle kiss.

—

The next morning, as Sehun got ready for work, Jongin made breakfast. They hadn’t said anything about it that morning, and part of him wondered if Sehun regretted it. He didn’t, but he knew it was a little bit estranged from their agreed upon arrangement. He just hoped he could see him before his mom came in.

Luckily, Sehun came in looking bewildered. “Jongin, do you know where my cufflinks are?” he asked.

“You’re looking a lot more fancy today than usual,” he mused, going to him to straighten his collar which he was ever so folded over.

“Ah, yeah, meeting,” he shrugged, smiling a little as Jongin fussed over his clothes. “Thanks, _honey_.”

Jongin laughed and swatted him, “Shut up. I don’t know where you put them, you haven’t worn them since you’ve been here. Maybe they’re still at your apartment?” he suggested. 

Something strange happened in Sehun’s expression when he said that, but it was only for a second before it was gone. “Probably, yeah. I’ll go check.”

“Don’t you want breakfast first?” 

“Rain check,” Sehun said, but he offered a faint smile and lightly kissed him.

—

“You’ll both be very happy to know that I’m leaving tomorrow,” his mom said as they sat around dinner, a nice place that his mom had insisted on.

“What? I thought you were here a few more days at least,” Jongin said, frowning a little. He glanced at Sehun, but his expression was blank and unreadable.

“I know, I did say that. But your aunt is having another one of her crises so I thought it would probably be a good idea if I was there. You know how she gets,” she rolled her eyes, though she was playful.

He wasn’t actually sure why he was so sad about the idea of her going. They talked most days on the phone even when she was gone, even if it was while she was waiting on the maid to get back from the store. But as he glanced again at Sehun, he realized it wasn’t so much about missing his mom as it was about not knowing what was going to happen with his fake relationship. Or that’s how it began, but why did it feel so real?

“You okay?” Sehun asked, reaching out to touch his knee.

Jongin blinked a couple of times before he smiled a little at them both. “Sorry, yeah, I just got a little lost in my thoughts there. It was just really nice having you here, Mom, I guess I expected a few more days,” he said. Which wasn’t untrue, he had also half expected that she’d suddenly announce she was staying another week entirely.

She laughed, and patted his cheek. “He’s such a mama’s boy, isn’t he?” she said playfully in Sehun’s direction.

“Jongin loves a lot,” he agreed, squeezing his knee supportively.

Jongin laughed a little and shrugged, kissing his mom’s cheek. “I understand, though, Mom. Don’t worry.”

—

He took his time getting ready for bed that night, taking a long while to brush his teeth and wash his face. Sehun was already in his pajamas and situated in bed the last he’d looked, doing something on his phone. He couldn’t quite shake the pit in his stomach, but he didn’t really want to delve into the reasons for it being there in the first place. Sighing, he dried his hands again and shut off the light, going to the bedroom.

Sehun was still awake, propped against the headboard as he scrolled on his phone. “Are you really okay?” Sehun asked, not looking up at him.

Jongin hummed softly, turning back the covers and climbing in to lay down. “Yeah...I mean...it’s time, right? I’ll be kind of nice to get back to normal…” he said, glancing at Sehun, waiting for a reaction.

But there was none, Sehun just shrugged. “True.”

And that was all that was said about it. Sehun turned off the light, and rolled over onto his side, away from Jongin. The pit grew. Maybe Sehun couldn’t wait to be away from him, he didn’t seem to argue that he was glad to be back to normal. But Jongin sighed softly. It wasn’t as though he had any room to feel upset. After all, he was the one who suggested a fake relationship, if he ended up in too deep that was his own problem to deal with.

—

They drove to the train station with his mom filling the car with her own conversation. She talked about his aunt, filled him in on the latest development on why she was having a hard time. It seemed that she was always in the middle of a crisis, and Jongin was used to hearing about the latest thing to set her off. They never lasted long, but she’d get horribly upset if she felt like people didn’t care.

She talked about how she was excited to go back to her favorite brunch place, as much as she’d miss Jongin, and filled the car with her stories of the tacky souvenirs and who they’d be going to. Jongin was thankful that she could talk even if no one was listening. Sehun hadn’t said more than two words all day, and Jongin supposed it was just that he couldn’t wait to be away.

They stood on the platform and Jongin gave her a hug. “I’ll miss you, Mom. Call me when you get home, okay?” he asked.

She smiled and cupped his face. “I will, don’t you worry about me. You be good, okay? You and Sehun take good care of each other,” she said, kissing his forehead even though she had to raise onto her tiptoes to do it.

“Sure...of course. Don’t worry so much.” He smiled, but he wasn’t so sure about that himself. Already he was wondering what he was going to say as an excuse for why they’d broken up, as much as the mere thought made him feel a little bit ill.

She squeezed him again before moving to hug Sehun. He watched as they embraced, as she told him he was a good kid and she was glad they were dating. 

He looked away, pretending to examine the train map so he didn’t have to feel so bad about disappointing her again when another relationship fell through. She didn’t know it had never been one in the first place.

But then with a final hug, she was gone. And Jongin was smiling as they waved her goodbye, Sehun’s arm wrapped around his waist. The pit continued, but then she was gone. Before he could feel Sehun pull away, he stepped out of his hold, already going back to the car. 

It was silent the entire drive, and by the time they got back to the apartment building, Jongin felt his throat burn. He was embarrassed, and a little sad, and he didn’t quite know what to say.

It was quiet again as they went into Jongin’s apartment, and Sehun went to the bedroom to retrieve his things. It was a fake relationship, but for all that somehow Jongin couldn’t help the feeling that it felt like an actual breakup. He sighed, and sat down on the couch, not wanting to go help or see him shoveling his things into bags to take back to his normal life. 

It was twenty minutes before Sehun reappeared. “Ah...guess I’ll see you then?” 

Jongin looked at him, pausing to consider for a moment that he should just tell him that he didn’t want him to go. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to lose whatever it was they’d built in the past weeks. But then he remembered how Sehun had just turned away from him, and he forced a smile onto his face. “Yeah, of course, we are neighbors after all,” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “Thank you again...for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

Sehun paused, licking his lips like he was trying to find what he wanted to say. “No problem,” was all that came out. And then he and the white dog were gone.

—

The next week was more awkward than Jongin expected it to be. It became apparent just how often they’d passed each other before when it seemed like every time he turned the corner or got on the elevator, there was Sehun. He smiled politely, sometimes he’d wave, but that was all.

Sehun sometimes didn’t even glance at him. And Jongin couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done that was so bad as that. Did Sehun regret agreeing to their arrangement that much? Or did he regret sleeping with him?

—

It was dark outside, and the sound of rain filled the apartment. Jongin stirred his cup of tea, staring out the kitchen window at the droplets that fell. He had just gotten off the phone with his mom, where he lied again to say that Sehun was out with friends, but they were doing fine.

He sighed again. He was doing that a lot lately. There was a knock on the door, and his brow furrowed. He placed the spoon into the sink, and went to the door.

“Sehun?” he asked in surprise as he opened it. 

Sehun was frowning, and damp. “Did it mean nothing?”

“What-”

“Was it really all just pretend?” Sehun insisted. His tone was matter-of-fact.

Jongin blinked a couple of times, stepping to the side as an invitation. “I...let’s talk,” he said. Confusion clouded his mind, trying to figure out where this was going. Hadn’t that been the arrangement? Even if it made him feel unquestionably sad, hadn’t Sehun been the one to agree it was over and he was happy?

Sehun stared for a moment, gaze locking with Jongin’s before he stepped into the apartment. “Okay. I’m sorry,” he said, though there was still something guarded in his tone.

“It’s okay. Do you want tea?”

“No...thank you though. I just...want to know.”

Jongin licked his lips, trying to figure out what Sehun was looking to know. Would it be easier if he said it was pretend? That he never felt anything? “It...well, I don’t know,” he started, lips lifting slightly in a hint of a smile. It wasn’t funny, but maybe it would calm the tension. “That’s the truth I guess. It was supposed to be...we agreed on it being fake, right? But honestly...maybe it became more than that.” He shifted on his feet, feeling a bit awkward standing in the middle of the living room like they were. 

Sehun’s expression hardly changed. “Maybe?”

Jongin sighed. “I don’t know what to do with this, Sehun. We agreed to pretend for my mom, and we had a lot of fun. It was really nice being with you.”

“Do you have feelings for me?” Sehun asked, his jaw clenching slightly.

He paused. “Sehun…”

“Because I do like you. Honestly, Jongin, I’ve had a crush on you as soon as I first saw you. So of course I was happy to jump at the chance to be your boyfriend for a couple of weeks, even if it wasn’t real. Maybe that was my mistake, because it was real for me...I’m sorry for that...but I’m confused because I thought you started to like me too.”

It felt like his heart was pounding in his chest, and he gaped at him, probably looking pretty dumb. But he didn’t know what to say to that, didn’t know how to quiet the rush of thoughts that made his mind race. “You just seemed...I don’t know, like you were looking forward to it being over…”

“I was. Because I wanted the fake part of it to be done...I wanted it to be real, wanted it to be us,” Sehun’s gaze fell to the ground.

There was a moment of quiet, the sound of rain on the windows the only sound in the apartment. Suddenly, it began to all fall into place. Jongin took a shaky breath, and stepped closer. He was hesitant, wanting to wait if Sehun was going to try and stop him. But his gaze remained on the ground, and Jongin hooked his finger under his chin, tilting his face to look at him. “I want it to be real too,” he said quietly.

And then he stepped forward, falling into Sehun’s arms as he kissed him, longing for his touch.

—

“Do you want to make a wish?”

Jongin glanced up, hardly recognizing that Sehun had led him to the fountain again after dinner. It had been a year since they were there with his mom, a year since they’d gotten together, both truthfully and for pretend. “Do I need to?” he asked, a little playful. 

“We can always use an extra wish, don’t you think?” Sehun asked, a smile slipping onto his face.

He couldn’t exactly disagree with that, so he smiled, taking the coin Sehun offered him. He hummed, considering that last time he’d hoped for him and Sehun to stay in touch, and he couldn’t have asked for that to come more true. Closing his eyes, he turned, wishing that he and Sehun would stay together, and tossed in the coin.

When he opened his eyes, for a moment he didn’t see Sehun, a frown slipping onto his face. But then he realized Sehun was right in front of him, kneeling. It took him another second to fully realize that he was smiling, and he held a box in his hand.

“Jongin...I wished for you a year ago, wished that we would be together...the highs and the lows, I wanted to be with you. And that wish came true. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me...I want to wake up to you every morning, I want to kiss you when we’re making dinner together even if it burns...I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?”

He smiled, though tears pricked at his eyes, and he nodded. “Yes...a hundred times yes, I love you…”

Sehun slipped the ring onto his finger, and then he was standing, pulling Jongin into his arms and kissing him. Tears ran down Jongin’s cheeks, unable to help the swell of emotions. They kissed for long minutes, just holding each other as Jongin cried and clung to him.

When they parted, Jongin brushing the tears from his eyes and Sehun unable to stop smiling, his phone buzzed. He slipped it from his pocket. ‘Congratulations, Jonginnie. Mama approves,’ was written in a text and he laughed, showing Sehun.

“Ah...sorry if it’s old fashioned, but I asked your mom’s permission,” he said with a laugh. 

Jongin shook his head, “I know how happy this must make her. Thank you, baby.”

It hadn’t been an easy year, they’d fought about silly things and had disagreements about whether they were ready to truly live together and if Jongin’s boss was taking advantage of his kindness or not. There had been one genuinely tense moment when Jongin brought home a stray dog to join their house, but Sehun didn’t stay mad for long. But even more than that, Sehun had gone along to meet the rest of his family, they’d spent their first holidays together and were even looking at a new apartment.

It wasn’t perfect, but Jongin had never been happier.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/kumjongin). [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kumjongin).


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